Where's the Beast? Godzilla doesn't get enough screen time

Sixty years after first wrecking havoc on the big screen, the King of Monsters makes a glorious return in “Godzilla.” Director Gareth Edwards’ reboot gets a lot right about the legendary monster, erasing the memory of the much-maligned 1998 film.
But the blockbuster’s flaws prevent it from being as good as it could be. The biggest flaw is that for a two-hour film, there’s not enough of Godzilla itself.
The film pays homage to the 1954 sci-fi original, maintaining its cautionary message about nuclear weapons. “Godzilla” nails the design of its awe-inducing titular character, a throwback to the creature’s look in the Toho films rather than the lizard-like monster in the 1998 bomb. This Godzilla hovers around 350 feet tall, the biggest the creature has ever appeared on screen.
But before the monster’s long-awaited reveal, “Godzilla” takes care to establish the human drama. Bryan Cranston of “Breaking Bad” fame commands the screen as Joe Brody, a nuclear plant supervisor turned conspiracy theorist who believes the tragic accident that leveled the Japanese facility where he and his wife (Juliette Binoche) worked was not caused by an earthquake. Fifteen years after the incident, Brody’s son, Ford (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), now in the Navy, reluctantly assists his father in uncovering what the government is hiding.
The pair comes into contact with scientists Dr. Ishiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) and Vivienne Graham (Sally Hawkins), who unwittingly unleash a gigantic insect-like creature called a MUTO (Massive Unidentified Terresial Organism).
Not one, but two MUTOs leave a path of destruction from Japan to Nevada to Hawaii to San Francisco, putting Ford’s wife Elle (Elizabeth Olsen) and son Sam (Carson Bolde) in danger.
Also making its way to stop the MUTOs is the King of Monsters himself, Godzilla.
When do we finally get to see Godzilla? An hour into the film. Before then we get plenty of teases of his tail or his scales. It’s an effective strategy — and the breath-taking reveal of Godzilla is worth the wait. But after Godzilla finally enters the fray, he still doesn’t get enough screen time. Edwards continues to tease us, this time for the climactic fight between monsters, but the teasing goes on too long.
“Godzilla” builds our attachment to the humans in the first act, in large part due to Cranston, but that connection bogs down the second half. Edwards keeps cutting away from Godzilla to the humdrum humans. Despite a talented cast, no other actor can match Cranston’s emotional intensity.
The film’s special effects are flawless. Edwards frames several scenes from human eye level, allowing us to grasp the full scope of the monsters’ massive size as they tower over the surrounding buildings. Godzilla’s atomic breath — watch his scales turn blue one by one before the blue fire shoots from his mouth — will surely please fans. The destruction of San Francisco is spectacular, with the monsters’ fight taking center stage.
“Godzilla” succeeds in rebooting a beloved brand. Here’s to hoping the planned sequel will deliver more scenes with our favorite atomic monster.

Rebecca Kivak considers herself representative of the average filmgoer. Her favorite films are “The Illusionist” and “Practical Magic.”

I saw a movie starring this skinny, flying pterodactyl that could also walk. It was born in a mine in the Philippines and started traveling through the Pacific Ocean before causing a ruckus at a Japanese nuclear plant.
Fifteen years later, it decided it had enough with that location and heads for Hawaii. There were humans and modern technology involved, too. An expert kept talking about some sort of legendary monster that was a prehistoric being like the airborne creature, but that was not an issue. In fact, I didn’t get why this “Godzilla” fella received top billing.
Wait a minute … isn’t Godzilla the star?
The incredible opening credits seem to show it, a stream of scientific images and nuclear testing footage that hints at the radioactive storyline for the 1954 original.
With this momentum, director Gareth Edwards film starts with scientists Dr. Ichiro Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) and Vivienne Graham (Sally Hawkins) studying a cocoon in the Philippines surrounded with radioactivity. Meanwhile, tremors create problems at a nuclear plant in Japan where Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston) manages operations and his wife, Sandra (Juliette Binoche), also works. The chaotic scene turns in tragedy when the plant crumbles and the Brodys’ young son Ford sees it come down.
The real action happens 15 years later when Bro’dy, now a conspiracy theorist, returns to the now-quarantined nuclear site with a grown-up Ford (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). It’s there they get the answer to what happened before: a bony-looking, power-hungry monster that’s not Godzilla is stirring trouble.
Now, the MUTO, as the monster is identified, is destroying everything between Japan and California. Mankind’s hope lies within armed helicopters and a creature with thick legs, a back lined with fins and a nice tail. Somehow, the name slips the mind. Oh yes, it’s Godzilla.
Like the king of monsters in the beginning, the humans in this movie have little use. The actors say their lines, perform their purposes and disappear.
This is usually not a big deal in most monster films, but when the cast has award-winning and celebrated actors like Cranston, Binoche, Hawkins, Elizabeth Olsen and David Strathairn, there should be something more for them to do besides deliver dialogue. At least Watanabe adds warmth to the scientific talk and serves as the voice of reason.
“Godzilla” is at its best when the titular creature is allowed to do what it does naturally — fight. When Godzilla takes on MUTO, it becomes an entertaining movie in the way a summer tentpole should be. The fighting is not the cheesy rubber suit style like most of the Godzilla movies that followed the original one. However, when humans get involved, like many military units and ships, it’s almost laughable. Speaking of humor, there isn’t much of it. Everything is in serious mode without room for laughs. It helps if viewers can channel Mystery Science Theater 3000 while watching the second half.
“Godzilla” saves the best for last, so be patient while watching this. Remember this is serious escapism and that the giant monster takes a while to make his presence known.

Tamara Dunn is a card-carrying cinephile. Her favorite films are “The Usual Suspects” and “North By Northwest.”

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